Once, Mel Gibson was the very definition of a star. He had the screen presence of a true man that the audience could count on. That was then, this is now. Is he as big a star as he was then? Not even close. Is he on a good path to not reaching, but coming close to where he was in the movie world? Yes. Why? Because he's in a dynamite action thriller that doesn't ultimately fulfill Gibson's status as an A-lister, but starts him off well. After a few years of inactivity, you might think that Gibson was perhaps "washed-up" or way past his prime as an actor. Watch this movie and prove yourself wrong. This is nowhere near his best performance, but he remains the same Mel Gibson that many out there admired. From director Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale") and writer William Monahan ("The Departed"), this is a flawed but satisfying movie that hardly lets up.
Gibson plays a man named Thomas Craven, a police officer who truly misses and loves his daughter. That's right, I said daughter. Is this forshadowing to a similar story to "Taken"? Well, it's the same basic idea. His daughter, named Emma Craven, is shot right in front of his eyes. He's devastated, and vows to find the men behind this murder. At first, some believed that the bullet might have been intended for Mr. Craven. Further evidence shows that the bullet was indeed meant for his "innocent" daughter, or so he thought she was innocent. The secrets that are revealed is shocking, and you get it more and more as you watch this film. So what separates this from "Taken" other than Mel Gibson instead of Liam Neeson? I see it this way: this film, as opposed to "Taken", has a brain. It isn't mindless, but rather somewhat smart. You actually have to use your nogin to figure this one out.
Other than Mel Gibson, another standout is Ray Winstone, though at times I couldn't understand him due to his strong accent. Still he compliments Gibson perfectly and they just gel in their scenes together. With that said, the main focus here is still Mel Gibson. He gives a very good performance in a very good film, and I know that as soon as the credits start rolling, you will (if you haven't already) finally confirm him as a true action hero.
Rating: 3 out of 4
